By Greg FarrarDiane Marcotte, city of Issaquah finance director, says a planning and management study plus legal and research expenses has cost the city $111,103 to consider the potential Klahanie-area annexation.

Annexing the Klahanie area would lead to many costs and benefits for Issaquah residents according to the city-commissioned Nesbitt Planning and Management study, but questions remain.

Alex Daugherty has put her talent on display as a basketball and track and field athlete, but she hadn’t run a cross-country race until early September.

The Skyline High School senior is showing she has the stamina for the sport, winning the individual girls title at Klahanie Park in 18:56.

She had plenty of help as Skyline easily defeated Ballard (19-41) and Eastlake (15-50). Sophomore Maizy Brewer was just 2 seconds back in second place, and fellow senior Samantha Krahling took third in 19:04.

By Neil PiersonSamantha Krahling, Alex Daugherty and Maizy Brewer (from left), Skyline High School cross country teammates, pace the girls’ field during the Sept. 25 meet against Eastlake and Ballard.

Last annexation attempt failed in 2005

The question of how a large-scale annexation on the Sammamish Plateau could affect residents in Issaquah, Klahanie and other unincorporated King County neighborhoods is under the microscope again, almost a decade after a citizen panel tackled the issue.

Issaquah leaders commissioned a $100,000 study and created a citizen task force to examine the Klahanie Potential Annexation Area — 10,800 people in about 3,900 households in the namesake neighborhood and adjacent communities.

The potential annexation area under consideration is in unincorporated King County, and bordered by Issaquah to the south, Sammamish to the north and west, and more unincorporated areas to the east.

Keegan Symmes, Skyline High School junior, approaches the finish line in 15:41, well before the rest of the field Sept. 28 during the Spartans’ cross country meet against Eastlake at Klahanie Park. By Christopher Huber

Skyline High School junior cross country runner Keegan Symmes continued his dominance in the KingCo Conference 4A Sept. 28 at Klahanie Park.

With Symmes leading the pack, Skyline eked out a win with 31 points to Eastlake’s 32. Inglemoor took third with 62.

“I just ran with the team,” Symmes said after the race.

Symmes and his coach, Brendan Hyland, said most runners took it a little easier at Klahanie, as both Eastlake and Skyline were preparing for the Oct. 1 Tomahawk Twilight Invitational in Marysville. Still, Symmes’ time was near the course record.

“It’s coming together,” he said. “The season hasn’t been as fast as I’d like, but hopefully I’ll get better later.”

Symmes ended up having a busy weekend. At the Tomahawk Twilight Invitational, on the Cedarcrest Golf Course, he finished first in the 3.1-mile race in 15:54. Then, on Oct. 2, Symmes finished second in the 10K race at the Issaquah Rotary Run. He completed the race in 33:27.

The separate proposals to add equipment to cell towers in Issaquah and May Valley cleared a regulatory hurdle in early August. So, too, did a proposal to construct a cell tower in Klahanie Park near Challenger Elementary School.

AT&T applied to the King County Department of Development and Environmental Services to add three antennae, six remote radio heads and a surge protector to the cabinet on the Issaquah and May Valley towers.

Crews intend to add equipment on the existing towers near the Issaquah Sportsmen’s Club, 23600 S.E. Evans St., and 18011 S.E. Renton-Issaquah Road, less than a half-mile southwest of the intersection of the street and Southeast May Valley Road.

The county permitting agency is handling the application for the Issaquah Sportsmen’s Club site because the shooting range is a county island surrounded by Issaquah and is near Issaquah High School.

The telecommunications company also intends to build the Klahanie Park tower. Plans call for cedar fences of up to 6 feet tall to ring the base.

County planners determined the projects do not require environmental impact statements — a thorough review to assess how a project could impact the surrounding environment.

The decision, or determination of nonsignificance in planning parlance, is not the last step in the process. The county must still issue building permits for the projects.

Residents opposed to any of the cell tower projects cannot appeal to the Department of Development and Environmental Services, but instead must direct appeals to King County Superior Court.

Traffic lines up on state Route 900 at Northwest Talus Drive in February. State Department of Transportation crews completed the long-running project in 2010. By Greg Farrar

The economy lurched from the recession, population growth all but stalled and Issaquah — after cutbacks and setbacks in 2009 — defied the odds to reach major milestones throughout 2010.

Momentum returned in 2010 after a year spent in a holding pattern. Set against the backdrop of a fragile recovery, leaders cut the ribbon on businesses and roads, laid the foundation for preservation and construction, and marked tragedies and successes. Read more

Clearwire has been granted a building permit to install a 60-foot communications tower inside Klahanie Park.

The wireless broadband provider has proposed three antennae and a microwave dish for the tower. The project is to adjoin the south side of the existing building inside the park. Plans call for the completed equipment and pole to be placed inside a fenced enclosure. Read more

Sammamish will not become the temporary owner of Klahanie Park, the Sammamish City Council decided last week.

With a 7-0 vote, the council decided against becoming the temporary owner of the park April 6. The city will still work to keep the park open.

King County had offered up the park on a three-year basis and on the condition that if Issaquah annexed the Klahanie development in the future, the park would transfer to Issaquah.

For Sammamish to take it over on a permanent basis, the Sammamish City Council would have to sign off on the transfer, the city of Issaquah would need to remove the park from its potential annexation area and the King County Council would have to give its blessing, too.

None of that may matter now, though. The prospect of paying to maintain the park without having permanent ownership wasn’t all that appetizing to Sammamish’s council.

“Why are we cutting their grass for free? That’s how I see it,” Councilman John Curley said.

Concerned Citizens of Klahanie, a citizen group that opposes Sammamish’s proposed takeover of the park, also turned some council members’ heads.

“We’ve gotten a lot of e-mails from people in Klahanie. They really don’t want Sammamish in their park. I think we really should respect their wishes,” Councilwoman Nancy Whitten said.

Councilwoman Michele Petitti went so far as to say that she was offended by the negative publicity attached to the proposed takeover. Read more